Highly recommend this investigator. Immediately responded to emails and texts. Great communication. Very upfront on costs and what it covered. Got exactly what I needed. Very personable and helpful. Would definitely use again in the future. Steve was amazing every step of the way! Thank you again! read more

"Exceptional Service and Professionalism!" I cannot say enough good things about Detective Steve Russo. After my daughter's Apple computer was stolen, I felt hopeless despite knowing the general location of the thief. Law enforcement wasn't able to prioritize my case, so I turned to this agency for help--and I'm so glad I did! From the very beginning, Steve was compassionate, attentive, and highly professional. He listened carefully to every detail of my situation and quickly developed a plan of action and made the necessary calls. Thanks to their expertise, I felt empowered and reassured throughout my call. Five stars all the way! Thank you Detective Steve read more

I contacted Steve for help with some questions about an investigation for a family member - he was quick to reply, super helpful and respectful - you can tell he truly cares about his work and helping others no matter what the situation. I ended up not needing his service but wanted to write a review to let others know I highly recommend talking to him if you are considering needing a private eye. read more

I contacted the folks at Watchful Eye Investigations for help with a personal matter recently, and I'm very happy with their services! Steve was so kind, helpful, and professional. I will definitely be using them again if I ever need their services! read more

I usually only try to leave good recommendations, but in this situation I am hoping to help others save their money. We hired this firm to do a relatively simple background check. We gave them the person's phone number, position and where he worked, city he lived in, etc. What we got back was a 31 page report that looked like it came from Ancestry DNA. It was filled with "Possible" relatives and other people with the same or similar name. No relevant data was given to us even though the bill was steep. For $99 I could have gotten what they gave me, a "possible" driving record. When I complained to Steve Russo who owns the company he said, "well I had a FBI retired person working on this with me." I hope that is not true since I have total respect for USA agencies. I guess he thought throwing 31 pages at us would look like he did a lot of work. It was a joke and of course Steve did not even offer to refund any of the money we had to pay upfront. Use another company. read more

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!! SINCERELY from the bottom of my Steve was so helpful, courteous, and considerate. It is nice to have someone who actually listens to your concern and genuinely wants to help. I recommend this company 10/10 A++ Thank you Steve!!!! read more

lol OK y'all, I've got stuff to tell you. So buckle up. I hired this company in 2019. The goal in 2019 was to get two police reports from two different police departments. One in Massachusetts. One in Texas. Massachusetts only releases records like that to immediate family. Texas is a little easier. You throw a public records request at them and you'll get the report quickly. But the 'target' was a minor for the Texas crime, which is a little more locked down and not as easily accessible to the public. So I couldn't get it myself. So I give Steve, the owner of WEI, the rundown on the situation: "I'm looking for information about my recently deceased ex-boyfriend. Most of it I've complied myself using public records requests, Google, jail logs, etc. but these two police reports require more work to get released because in Massachusetts (in 2019) unless you are the perpetrator of the crime or the victim, they cannot release the police report to you. And for the Texas crime he was a minor so there is red tape there." Like other reviewers have mentioned, after Steve was done with his investigation, I was given a 24 page report with a lot of white space (meaning not many words on each page). Several pages of the report was just a list of people related to the target. Steve knew the target was my dead ex-boyfriend. So I already know his parents, siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins! I don't need all that information!! Lmao! I looked at the list more closely in the "possible associates" section and most were neighbors that live on his parent's street. Lol! Mr. Watson, 80 years old with the weird collection of bright lawn chairs on his front lawn, is a "possible associate" that I paid $1000 to a private investigator know about? OK THEN lol. This was certainly not the kind of info that I was searching for. Another portion of the report was a list of previous addresses my ex lived at (which I had gotten myself off the Whitepages website and other easy Google searches). The only portion of the report that was remarkable was the list of criminal offenses. Mind you, it was just a list of offenses, the report did not contain any actual police reports for any of these offenses. This took up the bulk of the report because there were 14 offenses. (Yea, my ex was wild.) Each offense was listed with the charge, the booking/release date, the location, and the case number. And guess what? All this info you can get by paying $99 for a general background check using one of those generic background check websites. So I already had EVERYTHING that was in this report that I paid $1000 for! EVERYTHING! And it gave me pretty good insight on how he conducts his investigations (he does it the exact same way I do: Google). So if you need a 'private investigator'. Hit me up cause I can produce the same thing in about 3 hours and I'll only charge you half as much, lol! As mentioned, Steve's report didn't contain the actual police reports for each any of the crimes, it was just a simple listing of the above mentioned info. If it had included that, especially the two police reports I wasn't able to get myself, then I would've felt he'd done some solid work for me. And I probably would've felt the $1000 was worth it. Oh and lastly I'd like to mention that I left a negative Yelp review for Steve at the time and Steve sent me a Yelp message and asked me that if he refunded me, would I remove my review? I said I'd rather him keep the money, but get those two reports for me that I still need. But I never heard from him again. I mass deleted all my Yelp reviews like 2 years ago. So the original review is gone. But it's been nearly 4 years and I still think about how painful it was to give him a $1000 retainer (he said this was for the first 5 hours of work and it would be $95 for each hour thereafter) only for him to produce a report full of information I already had because all Steve did was some aggressive Googling. Good luck on your quest to find a good PI, I genuinely can't recommend this one though. read more

Steve does a great job in balancing value and product. He's easy to work with and a hard worker. High quality work and definitely service is always what is requested! read more

The WEI crew was successful in accomplishing each objective I gave them. Clear communication. Quick and easy to work with. the workload that I assigned was huge, but they were able to sort through it all and get me the information I needed to take down several bad people. Thank you so much. John read more

Steve is awesome - covered a tremendous amount of ground in very little time and gave us the exact info we needed to make our decision on how to move forward with our case. A pro with a relentless work ethic! Highly recommend. read more

I am glad i found Steve at Watchful Eye! After calling 3 agencies, he returned my call w/ the most willingness to help. I had a small case and unlike the other agencies who wanted money up front to even hear me, he was willing to listen.He provided free consultation and when it was all done he didn't even charge me! I called d/t my purse/drivers license being stolen, and although i had a first name of who stole it-that's all i knew. Steve asked me the right questions and helped me get his name in minutes---first and last. He then immediately ran a criminal background check on the guy, and provided me with pertinent information over the phone. He was empathetic to my concern and helped me get useful information fast. I was able to get in touch w/ the guy who took it. He admitted to "somehow" having my drivers license and he agreed to send it to me. Not sure that will happen, but for what its worth, he knows that I know who he is. I decided to wait on using Steve for further action. He was not pushy but clear about what he could do and up front with his charges. He agreed to Not Charge me At All for the background info and phone call- which i found more than kind as it was over 30 minutes! It mite be worth noting that another company eventually called me back- "Lighthouse"...the lady was unpleasant and when I told her I had chosen another company she began bad-mouthing other investigators. I found this to be a real turn off. Made me feel more lucky that i got calm Steve at Watchful Eye. I would recommend Steve to my friends in a pinch; he was Kind, Honest and Competent! read more

There are alot of elements, emotions, and unforeseen parts that go into what Steve and his team does for people. I needed help and Watchful Eye took it seriously to a realm I did not expect. They listened to my needs, they kept it very professional and helped me beyond belief. It can be scary when you need help and have no clue where to turn. I highly recommend that you do yourself a favor, stop losing sleep over something that can be solved. Count on Steve and his crew at Watchful Eye Investigations, just like me, you have enough to keep your focus on, this is a business that treats you exactly how you expect with results that go far above and beyond expectations. Thank you Steve and Watchful Eye for the amazing results you provided for me. Now I understand why this company is a staple in Austin. read more

I honestly cannot praise and recommend Watchful Eye Investigations enough. They go ABOVE and BEYOND to get the work done and are extremely thorough. Not only was I impressed with the information uncovered to assist in winning my court case but all of the detectives and investigators were very professional and understanding. read more

If you're stuck in a horrible situation and feel like you've been kicked in the stomach because you're having to deal with a cheating spouse, this is the agency for you. I have been dealing with a cheating spouse for over 6 months and had nowhere to turn until I called Watchful Eye. I was treated with dignity, respect and patience.The staff there was so nice. It was so good to talk to somebody about the situation who just let me vent and say what I needed to say and then helped me formulate and come up with a game plan to try to take care of this. Nobody wants to be stuck in a situation like this it's your worst nightmare. But if you are stuck in a situation like this, without a doubt this is the agency for you. They will work with you to try to help you come up with something that's going to be right for your particular situation. I don't have enough good things to say them. If I could give it more than five stars I would! Without a doubt! This is a 10 plus agency. Don't sit there and worry and wonder what's going on give them a call, they will help you and they really do answer day or night with a real person! what a difference that makes when your confused and are searching for answers. read more

Steve is the best! When we were searching for my autistic daughter, Steve managed to locate her within 4 hours after she had been kidnapped. My mother, Awilda, and I are eternally grateful to him for providing excellent service and going above and beyond for our family. If you are looking for a professional, who has exceptional communication and cares for his clients, Steve Russo at Watchful Eye is that man! read more

When Watchful Eye Says 24-hour private investigator, they really mean it. I called fairly late on a Sunday evening and was very impressed when a real live human picked up the phone. I worked with Steve, starting with a free consultation, and he was very helpful and understanding. Despite how late it was, Steve got back to me within the hour....at 11pm....on a Sunday. Wow. Communication was easy and personable. He did a great job laying out the different options available, measured my expectations and delivered everything ahead of schedule. I'll definitely be recommending Steve to anybody who needs an Austin private investigator. read more

I had a wonderful experience with this service. Steve is quick. Efficient and very detailed.....I highly recommend this service....

Best in town hands down. The team was very helpful in my time of need.

i recently had an occasion to hire Steve and his team to help me with an issue. He was able to confirm my suspicions quickly and remained professional through my emotional conversations with him. You never hope you need a Watchful Eye -- but if you do, they are the ones to call. read more

Called Steve in the evening about an issue with a local scammer seller. He listened patiently and clearly explained what kind of help he can offer. I am definitely call again if a similar thing happens in the future, although I certainly hope it doesn't. read more

The best surveillance team for Austin and surrounding areas! I haven't actually used anyone else, but wouldn't risk trying anyone else if I ever need these services in the future. It is truly amazing to see how much info, details and photos they can gain and how well they must blend in to be able to capture it all. I was so impressed with Steve. He was extremely professional and supportive during a very difficult time. I appreciate all their hard work and long/late hours. Don't take your chances with anyone else. Steve will make it happen! read more

I normally don't write reviews but I felt compelled to in this case. I am going through a custody battle which as the father often seems impossible and I needed to confirm my suspicion on an event I had no means to get close to. My lawyer recommended that I call Watchful Eye Investigations and ask for Steve. My ex-wife was about to be served and I needed to confirm or deny my suspicion before she was served so as she would not change her behavior. Not only was Steve and his team able to address my concerns with little to no warning, he provided me high resolution imagery confirming my suspicion, undetected and he accomplished the mission prior to my ex-wife being served. I simply could not have asked for a better outcome. As a retired military officer I can appreciate the planning, resourcing and execution of this type of surveillance operation and it's clear Steve has a great team! read more

needed some help tracking my ex that owes over $13,000 in back child support, Mr Russo was able to confirm where my ex was staying which resulted in an arrest warrant being served by Austin PD. Thanks Watchful Eye! read more

This is THE investigation firm to use if you want accurate and professional results! They are amazing!!! They are incredibly thorough and they are so helpful. Steve was available to answer every question and kept me informed of everything. He is so dedicated and has the most incredible work ethic. Everyone there is extremely professional and takes their work very seriously. I would use them again without hesitation and wouldn't even think of using anyone else! read more

Watchful Eye Investigations was quick to respond to my call. I was able to get a face to face appointment the next day and he took the time to listen to my story, my concerns, and answer my questions. I had constant up to date information on my project and was given different options on services that could further help me and my position. I highly recommend Watchful Eye if you are looking for some PI help. read more

Watchful Eye Investigations was very professional and cooperative with my needs. I was constantly informed in terms of the progress of the case and my input was always considered. I got all the information I needed and I would recommend this private investigation agency to everyone. The owner was easy to work with and the investigator handling my case was professional and very effective. Again, I would encourage everyone in need of a private investigation agency to hire these guys. Great experience!! read more

Very profesional, discrete, fast and friendly investigation!!! I can not imagine a better investigative service provider. Watchful Eye Investigations should be your first and only choice!! read more